Just had a quick look at the site myself, & as Les suggested there are a couple of things in the FAQ http://www.cossacks.com/english/cossacks/addonfaq.php that are worth noting & might help - 'the ability to create alliances with the computer, to trade resources, (& to) configure how a game will begin'

' There is a special peace time mode. This is a special option you can select for both single player and multiplayer games. Activating the peace time causes a cease fire at the beginning of the game, which gives you time to build up your economy and army before the war starts. You can set the peace time to last from 10 minutes up to 4 hours!'

'military units in the game have two new commands available: guard and patrol. This means you can order units to guard a building or another unit. The guards will always remain close to the building or follow a unit they are guarding.'

Hope youre enjoying it even if you are finding it challenging though!